Heavy Rain
by Preaching Red
Summary: Thrown somewhere at some time for some purpose, Ichigo must make a reason to find his place within it all lest a past future be realized. Capisce? Issa time travel fic. Occasional and arbitrary alterations will be made to the original timeline & universe for the sake of characters and story.
1. 1

Brown eyes blinked blearily in futile attempts to clear blurry vision; a frustrated groan followed without fail. Gaze rising with the rest of him, blood rushed to his feet plunging the world back into darkness. Ichigo raised his right hand as he stumbled blindly through Seireitei. The hand that wasn't foraging through discomforting darkness attempted to massage the pain away,

"Ugh... my head fricken _hurts_ "

"Don't tell me you went drinking on a Wednesday night" A familiar voice Ichigo couldn't quite place chided, "That's usually my shtick!"

"Can't… see…"

"That bad, huh? You're lucky I carry around a hangover remedy, should clear up that headache but I'm not really sure about the lack of sight… You sure you didn't go blind?"

A pioneering right hand reached for the remedy, "Give… Please."

The voice laughed warmly, "I have to warn you, it doesn't taste pleasant. This is a new haori so don't spit it out on me."

Ichigo racked his brain. _Haori._ The coat the Soul Reaper captains were given.

 _'Why the hell would someone in the World of the Living have something so stupidly outdated?'_ Ichigo pondered ruefully.

Vision suddenly and immediately came rushing back, completely in focus to boot. Lucky him. Unsure of what to expect before him, a dauntingly familiar grin took him by surprise.

"Kyōraku-taicho?" Ichigo groaned, more in shock than anything else, "What on Earth are you doing here?"

Another laugh, "Well you happen to be right outside the Eighth Division, and I happen to be the Captain of this here division, so…"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He was confused. He was tired. His head still hurt— "HEY THAT CURE DIDN'T WORK!"

Kyōraku dipped his hatless head sheepishly, "The placebo effect sure has it shortcomings, huh? Thanks for getting rid of that accursed drink Unohana-taicho prescribed me. One of the few things I won't drink."

Ichigo's blistering temper had already fizzled out by this point, so he figured he would pressure the Eighth Division Captain for some info on what the hell had happened to him.

"How'd I end up here? Last I recall I was in my room yelling at Renji to stop coming in through my window."

Kyōraku raised an eyebrow, his expression sinking into seriousness, "It's extremely rare for a newly deceased soul to remember their life — I'm assuming you are recently deceased because you aren't a Shinigami — and even rarer for a deceased soul to enter the Soul Society in Seireitei. The large spiritual pressure around here usually deters any and all souls entering." Calculating eyes looked him up and down, "You must have _exceptional_ Reiryoku."

Ichigo shrunk under the Captain's gaze, "Stop looking at me like that!"

"Tell you what: you agree to join my division once you graduate, and I'll send you to Shin'ō for free. How does that sound?"

"What in the world makes you think I'll join your division you drunk? Also, I though Shin'ō was free!" Ichigo huffed indignantly

Kyōraku, ignoring his implied query, laughed heartily, "Coming from someone who got so drunk they couldn't even see the next morning, I'll take that as a compliment!"

Ichigo blushed as he remembered his situation — he had no credibility or memory and therefore could not argue with the captain. Before he could retort however, Kyōraku spoke again.

"The real reason I want you in my division is those twin Zanpakutō. Jūshirō and I are the only ones in history to wield twin Zanpakutō; therefore, you, my friend, are studying under me whether you like it or not. Not a soul at the academy can teach you to fight with two, sealed, Zanpakutō. And if you want to survive in the future, you _will_ learn to fight with two, sealed, Zanpakutō."

Ichigo was baffled for a multitude of reasons, the first one being his _two_ Zanpakutō. Where the hell had the second one come from, and how the hell had Zangetsu sealed himself? However, Ichigo was also aware that Kyōraku was one of the most proficient swordsmen in the entire afterlife, and he wasn't passing up a chance to study under him.

"Fine. However, if you're planning to send me to the academy you should probably know ahead of time that my kidō is… subpar"

Kyōraku chuckled sympathetically, strategically overlooking the stranger's knowledge of kidō "Too much Reiryoku, too little control?"

Ichigo's eyes were wide, "How'd you know?"

Kyōraku rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly, "Jūshirō and I had the same problem in our first year at the Academy, I struggled well into my second year while Jūshirō managed to rankle his during his first-year final exams. Between you and me, it's just because I have more Reiryoku than he does ;)."

Ichigo was flabbergasted, "You _winky face-ed_!?"

Kyōraku raised a brow, "I did?"

A pause

"So… the Academy?"

Ichigo sighed in exasperation, deciding to accept his fate rather than argue with the senior captain, "When?"

"Entrance exams are in 4 weeks. If you want help controlling your energy, feel free to stop by."

"Sure thing" Ichigo smiled, "I'll definitely take you up on that, but not today. I need a place to crash."

"If you can't find one, there's plenty of space in the Eighth Division barracks!" Kyōraku replied

"I appreciate your offer — I'm sure I'll find one though, but I'll be seeing you soon."

"One question."

"Yes?"

"Those clothes you're wearing… where can I get some?"  
Ichigo glanced down, a pair of blue jeans and a black jacket.

"Uh… the World of the Living?"

Kyōraku 'hmm-ed' thoughtfully, "Remind me to stop by with you one of these days."

Ichigo nodded before walking off with a wave tossed behind him, "See ya."

Kyōraku waved back gaily, before falling deep into thought, _'I don't understand how a recently deceased soul has any knowledge of_ kidō _.. his_ Zanpakutō _are even stranger. How did he even obtain them in the first place?'_

A crisp smack to the back of his head dispelled his musings.

"Making new friends, Captain?"

"Of course, Lisa" Kyōraku grinned over his shoulder, "I'm nothing if not amiable"

"You're a lazy good-for-nothing who refuses to do paperwork, which you happen to have in surplus!"

* * *

Ichigo wandered the Seireitei aimlessly, after being chased through the majority of it by the Eleventh Division during his Ryoka days he figured he knew every nook and cranny of the damn thing. Taking in his surroundings, he figured he must be near the Tenth division.

 _'Some of these buildings look different since I was last here. I want to say they're new but they look old.'_ Ichigo debated as he took another turn, running into someone who was also taking another turn.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there" Ichigo apologized in a slightly nasally voice, for the other's forehead had connected rather solidly with his face-mounted breathing instrument.

"No problem, I wasn't paying attention either. With all the spirit energy you're releasing you'd think I would be able to at least realize there was _something_ around the corner."

"Yeah, I get that a lot" Ichigo sweat dropped, before double taking as he recognized the woman in front of him, "Rangiku!"

The woman looked slightly startled, "Such informality from an unseated officer? What is the Gotei coming to?"

"You got a hair cut! I thought you liked your hair long?" Ichigo was getting even more confused, not that he'd say it aloud, but Rangiku looked 5 years younger than last they'd spoken. Could it be the haircut? Renji had told him Rangiku used to wear her hair short… wait… Kyōraku didn't know who he was, buildings looking older, Rangiku with shorter hair…

 _'A really bad joke?'_ Ichigo internally inquired, _'Sounds like something Renji would organize.'_

"Hair long? It's been a while since I've done that." Rangiku pondered, "It's a little creepy you remember that long ago…"

Ichigo face faulted. Great, she didn't know him either. Had it been a joke, Rangiku would have just broken down into giggles and coo condescendingly; she wasn't a serious enough individual to properly act out something as petty as a practical joke. He didn't know what was going on, but he needed an escape plan.

 _"Play dumb!"_ A distorted voice shrieked desperately in Ichigo's mind

Ichigo flinched upon hearing his inner hollow, but currently had more pressing matters to focus his attention on.

"Been a while… what do you mean, it was just last week…" Ichigo pretended to stare at her Lieutenant's badge, "A LIEUTENANT?!" He shrieked, "How the hell did you get promoted…"

Rangiku raised an eyebrow, "I think you have me mistaken for someone else, I've been a lieutenant for fifty years now."

 _"Take that, Glasses! I'd like to see you pull that off. My king's the man!"_

"I'm so sorry."

 _"Bow deeper, King."_

 _"Don't push it, Dickweed."_

"Don't sweat it." Rangiku chuckled, "I can't fault you for something I've done before. I've got paperwork to do though, and if I don't do it Isshin-taicho will have my head!"

"Sure thing… see ya"

 _'Isshin-taicho? She couldn't mean… but… it's been over a hundred years since Dad was a captain. What the hell?'_

 _"There isn't really an explanation for it, but if I had to guess, you're in the past!"_

 _"The past?"_ Ichigo wondered, _"How..."_

 _"If I had to guess again? Urahara."_ The hollow's pale form appeared in front of him, no sword(s) to be seen. _"That clown probably stuck something on Renji without him knowing. The rise in both of your spiritual pressure could have tripped whatever it was and sent you back."_

 _"Wouldn't Renji have been sent back then?"_

 _"Do I look like a search engine, King? You gotta find the answers yourself."_

 _"Rukia was in the room as well, wouldn't she have been sent back as well?"_

 _"So was the Werecat — DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?"  
"Yeah, yeah, you don't know. Can it so I can think."_

 _"If I had something sharp it would be buried between your eyes right now."_  
 _"Remind me to relegate you to plastic utensils."_

 _"Quarreling isn't going to uncover where we are or when we are. We should try our best to figure out what today's date is before we jump to conclusions."_

 _"Zangetsu!" Ichigo sighed in relief, "I understand, I'll get right on it."_

 _"How come he always listens to you and not m…"_

The rest of the Hollow's rant was drowned out as Ichigo vacated his inner world, only to see Rangiku snapping her fingers in front of his face,

"Hey, you finally back? You spaced out there."

"My bad. Sorry about that, but I have to get going. There are things I have to attend to." Ichigo told the Lieutenant.

"Moi aussi." Rangiku sighed, "If we see each other again, I'll be sure to remember your name... which you're going to tell me now."

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I'll remember it, catch ya later!"

"Bye." Ichigo replied with a wave as she hurried off, assumedly, to her division.

 _'Time to find someone who knows the date.'_

 _"Not hard. Stop a random Shinigami and ask."_

Ichigo rolled his eyes but complied with his Hollow's suggestion. A short time later, random Shinigami strode by and was quickly interrogated by Ichigo. Random Shinigami revealed that the date was August 24, 1878. Ichigo thanked Random Shinigami, who nodded, and departed, leaving Ichigo to talk to himself.

 _"So, the day and month are the same as when I was in the World of the Living, but the year is over one hundred years prior. Urahara really is an asshole, huh."_

 _"Despite the rather crude language, yes. I currently view Urahara-san in a slightly less kind light."_ Zangetsu agreed

 _"I'm gonna rip his hands off and reattach them backwards!"_ Ichigo's hollow seethed.

Ichigo and Zangetsu both cast wary looks at the decidedly unhappy hollow.

 _"Don't give me that look! Makes me feel like I'm the only one who wants to do that."_

The looks continued to pin the hollow.

 _"Oh, well screw you guys."_

 _"So, what do we do?"_ Ichigo looked to Zangetsu

 _"We train under Kyōraku until the exams, then we enter the academy and train to eliminate Aizen. Ideally before he can initiate his takeover."_

 _"You just couldn't be patient, could you? It only took you one thousand nine hundred and sixty-eight words to ruin the intrigue from the summary!"_ Ichigo growled as he—with the author living vicariously through him—flipped the spirit off.

 _"It isn't my fault he was too lazy to conjure some profound analogy or conflict to inspire a real story with an overarching plot and character-building subplots. This isn't_ your _first rodeo."_ Zangetsu spoke not to Ichigo and not to Hollow-san, but to the mysterious fourth party always tuned in.

" _Wait what about the title?_ "

" _I thought it was fairly obvious, you see there's a consistent theme with you regard—"_

 _"No. Stop that. Bad spirit."_

Ichigo pushed the conversation back on track, opting to reiterate to the calmer resident of his inner world, _"If I was sent back, what about Renji, Rukia and Yoruichi?"_

 _"It is unlikely that Shihōin-san was sent back. She wasn't flaring her Reiatsu like you or Abarai-san, and Kuchiki-san could go either way. While she_ was _flaring her Reiatsu, it was more than likely smothered by yours and Abarai-san's; therefore, we cannot be sure if the device even picked up her Reiatsu. It is likely that Abarai-san was sent back—especially if it was strapped to him—although I wouldn't bother looking for him. After all, he'll probably attempt to enter the Shinigami Academy in four weeks. You will find him there."_

 _"All right, I'm going to find a place to crash for tonight and possibly the next four weeks."_

 _"Very well. We will bide our time and wait to strike, and when we strike, our hearts will not waver."_

Thrust out of his inner world with the words of his Zanpakutō resounding in the recesses of his mind, Ichigo set off to find a place to collapse and sleep the next two to three days away.

* * *

 _"I swear to every god except Aizen, King. If you_ ever _make us stand in a line that long again, I will perform a coup_ _d'état_ _!"_

 _"Oh, shut up!"_ Ichigo retorted, _"We're through, aren't we? Stop complaining!"_

 _"… I'd support the rebellion…"_

Ichigo and Inner Hollow-san stopped and turned, as one, in disbelief to eye the frazzled Zanpakutō spirit

 _"Zangetsu?"_ Ichigo prodded carefully, noting that the man was _sitting_ on his flagpole.

 _"No more standing, Ichigo… stand and you will age… shuffle forward and you will die…"_ Zangetsu shivered.

Ichigo vacated the world with his ears still ringing from his Hollow's unending cackling.

 _'What did I do to deserve idiots as my Zanpakutō spirits?'_

"I figured I'd find you here." A strikingly familiar voice called Ichigo out.

Ichigo raised a brow, "I figured I'd find _you_ here." He parroted, "Any idea what the hell happened to us?"

"Not a clue" Renji sighed, eyeing his surroundings, "I wasted three weeks trying to gather information. All I came up with is that we are over a hundred years in the past, Hitsugaya-taicho is athird seat, and Yumichika and Ikkaku aren't even a part of the Gotei yet."

"Damn, pretty much exactly what I gathered. I've decided to use this to our advantage, though."

"Oh?" Renji raised his own, tattooed, brow, "Do tell."

"At this point in time, at least according to the Visored, Aizen is currently the Fifth Division Lieutenant under Shinji Hirako. I believe we can take him out before he preforms his coup d'état"

"No kidding… not a bad plan. It's something that crossed my mind, but I was still in denial that I'm in the past."

"Well, step one, blow through the Shinigami Academy and break all kinds of records."

Renji grinned, "$5 says I graduate in a year."

"You're on" Ichigo grinned, "With your kidō there's no chance. Kaien Shiba and Gin Ichimaru are the only two to graduate in less than two years! Besides, Aizen trained Gin beforehand while Kaien had incredible Reiryoku with deft control over it. In other words, he could preform _kidō."_

"How are you so acquainted with the former Thirteenth Division Lieutenant?"

"I hung around with Ukitake and Kyōraku _a lot_ these past 4 weeks."

Renji spluttered, "How the hell can you already have forged connections?"

"My swords."

"What?"

"I have twin Zanpakutō."

"Funny."

"I'm not kidding! Here, I'll show you."

"Ah, so you managed to seal Zangetsu. About time! And you yell at me about Reiatsu control." Renji grinned haughtily.

"Shut up" Ichigo glared, "Anyway, Kyōraku offered to train me because the academy doesn't teach the basic techniques for a two-sword style."

"Aren't you just a lucky duck."

"If it makes you feel better, I had to take Kyōraku and Ukitake shopping in the World of the Living. Kyōraku wanted human clothes and he dragged poor Ukitake along."

Renji sweat dropped, "Sounds like those two haven't changed… or wait… is that how you say it when we are?"

 _Meanwhile, in a Captain's meeting…_

Genryusai Yamamoto eyed his students with wilting exasperation while the other Captains took the mirth in stride. Kyōraku stood proud in his finely tailored black suit while Ukitake just looked plain embarrassed.

"What on Earth are you wearing?"

"They're 'suits', Soutaichou. The latest trend in the World of the Living." Kyōraku informed him gaily.

"Why did you feel the need to wear them here?"

Kyōraku sobered, "Sir, I believe it is in the best interest of the Gotei Thirteen to change. Let's face it, sir…"

Everyone hung on with bated breath.

"Those haori are pretty boring, aren't they?" Kyōraku paused for a second, wedging his thumb under his half Windsor knot, "I wasn't aware someone had installed a heater..."

 _Shinigami Academy_

"What classes are you signed up for?"  
Renji scanned his schedule, "third-year Hakuda Technique/Applied, third-year Hohō Basic, third-year Zanjutsu, second-year Kidō Theory, third-year Hohō Applied, second-year Hadō Applied, second-year Bakudō Applied."

"In that order?"

"Yep, not every day, thank god. I have Hohō, Kidō and Bakudō on one day and all the rest on the other. Block scheduling is my new favorite system."

"I'll say. Our class schedule is the same with the exception of the Kidō courses, which I'm placed in the advanced first-year class. Why do you think we only placed in third-year advanced for Hohō, Hakuda and Zanjutsu?" Ichigo inquired, turning his schedule to an odd angle as though it would solve the question.

"They probably don't allow freshman to place beyond the third-year curriculum. It's the only logical answer. Think about it:

· The Goddess of Flash trained both of us.

· You just spent four weeks under Kyōraku.

· I spent four decades with Zaraki and the rest under Kuchiki.

· Not to mention we both fought a war."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Renji. Who knew you were capable of simple thought processes?"

"You think you're funny, do ya?"

* * *

 _Day 1, Hakuda Technique/Applied_

"Take that, Renji!" Ichigo cackled as he grabbed Renji in a full nelson

"Crap!" Renji gasped as he fruitlessly attempted to fight his way free.

Most of the class had halted in their practice to watch what had _already_ become known as the 'Dynamic Duo' go at it _again_.

Much to the instructor's chagrin, he was already used to it, and it was still the first class of the year. However, he was paid to be an instructor and it was his job to keep them on task, so:

"What are you two _doing?_ " The instructor inquired patiently.

Both students blinked, both answering "Wrestling" as though it were completely obvious and you'd have to be an idiot to pose such a question.

The instructor pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why?"

"Because I already know how to take Ichigo down." Renji replied simply.

"Try me, Asshole!"

"STOP!" The instructor roared.

Silence reigned.

"Thank you. I'm aware that the both of you are already… _informed_ about the course material, but for the sake of the class itself I am going to ask you to stick to the curriculum."

Red and Orange grumbled unhappily but agreed, nonetheless. Five minutes later both were attempting to pull each other's socks down without having their own shoved down.

 _Zanjutsu_

"… You already have your Zanpakutō?"

"Yes…?"

Let it be said now that the Zanjutsu instructor is significantly more… uncouth (yeah, let's go with that) than the Hakuda instructor.

"How the fuck?"

"Kyōraku-taicho taught me how." Ichigo shrugged.

Renji contemplated for a moment before admitting, "I have no excuse."

"Well then." He clapped, "Go kick the shit out of each other while everyone else lines up for an Asauchi!"

"Yes, Sir!" The clashing of metal somehow managed to resound before the simultaneous response.

 _Renji- Hadō Applied_

"Um, sir, I think my schedule may be messed up."

"How do you mean, Abarai?"

"Well, how can I have Hadō Applied before Kidō Theory?"

"What are you babbling about, Abarai?"

"This doesn't make sens—"

"Line up class, I want you to practice Hadō number four"

"Hey!"

 _Ichigo- Kidō_ _Theory_

"If I remember correctly, Renji has his Hadō Applied class now… wait… how does that work?"  
"I hope you're muttering the incantation for Shakkahō, Kurosaki!"

"… of wings, ye who bears the name of Man…"

 _Common area_

"Can I point out that I am learning nothing from this god forsaken place?" Ichigo sighed as he flopped onto the grass

Renji grumbled, "Yeah, well it's worse for me. The assholes standing behind me and next to me somehow managed to blow up Byakurai _._ How the hell do you blow up _Byakurai_?"

"So that's why you're wearing the girls' uniform"

"So, you noticed, huh?"

"The red really accents your hair."

"Shut it, Strawberry."

"If it makes you feel better, I know the incantation for Shakkahō forward, backwards, upside down, and in French."

"That really doesn't help."

Silence reigned.

"What are your classes tomorrow?"

"Really?"

"Oh right, I keep forgetting we have the same class schedule with the exception of our Hadō Applied and Kidō Theory courses." Ichigo chuckled sheepishly

"You don't need to rub it in, an attempted Seki did that far better than you can."

"Ha."

 _Day 2, Hohō Technique/Theory_

"Welcome class! As is the tradition for this class, the first and last days of the year will be supervised by the Goddess of Flash herself, who is ironically running late."

Ichigo yawned, "I don't need to know the mechanics of manipulating the Reishi around my feet to move at high speeds. It's how every single high-speed technique works, although I still can't work out why Sonido has to make that irritating buzz. Every time Ulquiorra would appear behind me I thought a swarm of bees was trying to run me through. It did make it easier to dodge, though…"

"Quit complaining, at least this class will be a breeze." Renji replied, attempting to quiet his friend before furrowing his brows in confusion "Hold up Ichigo, Ulquiorra's Sonido is definitely faster than the speed of sound. Are you sure you don't want to pay attention in this class?"

"Red and Orange!"

"I have a name!" Came the indignant responses

"Shihōin-sama has the class roster." Came the retort, "That's beside the point, you two will be her 'test dummies'"

"What the hell do you use a dummy for in Hohō?"

"Watch the language, Red!"

"Ah, a lively class, Hamasaki-sensei. This I will look forward to."

"Lively indeed, Shihōin-sama. Red and Orange have volunteered to cater to whatever you need today"

"She's a lying snake!"

"Save it, Ichigo. You're only digging our graves at this point!"

Yoruichi's face darkened with malicious intent, "Oh did they? How _nice._ "

"We're gonna die." Renji whispered furiously.

"It's your fault for cussing, _Red._ "  
"You're the one who started complaining, _Orange._ "

"Pipe down!" Hamasaki roared.

Silence reigned.

"Thank you. Shihōin-sama, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Hamasaki-sensei." Yoruichi gave a slight bow before turning to Ichigo and Renji, before her demeanor did a complete 180.

"Strawberry, Pineapple, stand up!"

Both froze.

" _She_ _remembers_!" Renji hissed.

" _She_ _came_ _back_ _too_!" Ichigo hissed back.

"Stand up, you don't want to get on my bad side, do you?"

"Bad side?" Ichigo chuckled nervously.

"Both are so good!" Renji kissed up shakily.

Yoruichi, unfazed by the ass-kissing, continued without mercy. She responded tersely, gesturing to to the spaces beside her.

"Both of you, up here, on either side."

"Yes ma'am."

With Ichigo on her right and Renji on her left, Yoruichi began her class.

"I'm sure you all wish to learn Shunpo—we'll get to that. The first sixty minutes of class, however, will be a demonstration of what I like to call 'Step Under Pressure'; STUP for short. I've brought along thirty paintball guns and ammo to spare." Yoruichi clunked her hand against the plastic ammo container, "All of you will line up and grab one, and then you will move on to the ammo station where I will fill up your gun. Hamasaki-sensei, if you wish to participate, I brought along extra weaponry."

The pair's shocked cries of 'What?' and 'That's an anachronism!' went ignored or unheard, drowned out by the excited but confused buzz of the students. Receiving a nod of agreement from Hamasaki, Yoruichi kicked the class into action, and soon, Ichigo and Renji were facing the firing squad.

"Aim" Yoruichi prompted, raising her gun so she could look down the sights.

"Renji?"

"Yeah, Ichigo?"

"Have you ever been shot with a paintball gun?"

"No, why"

"They hurt so bad you'll wish Kenpachi was attacking you with a baseball bat."

Renji paled.

"That bad?"  
"Dodge and pray Renji, and — under any circumstances — do _not_ spread your legs."

"Roger." Renji winced preemptively.

"Fire!"

 _Renji- Kidō Theory_

"Holy hell, Abarai!" The Kidō instructor gasped as Renji stumbled into the classroom, "What _happened_ to you?"

"Ye crazy cat lady! Mask of beauty and grace, flutter of paintballs, she who bears the name Evil…"

 _Ichigo- Hadō Applied_

"You don't look so good Kurosaki," The Hadō instructor told him, "can you focus enough not to blow the crap out of everyone?"

"I still remember the incantation for fucking Shakkahō!" Ichigo declared proudly, albeit his tone was shaky and he sounded confused. Perhaps the fact that the left side of his head was matted in bright purpled paint had something to do with that…

 _Renji- Bakudō Applied_

"All right, I've had my Kidō Theory course, which means I actually remember the incantations now. As long as I focus, remember the incantations, and don't attempt the spells without them, I won't blow the crap out of everyone." Renji muttered his new mantra as he walked warily into the more imminent of the two, dreaded, 'Applied' Kidō courses.

Renji sat calmly in his assigned seat, mentally fortifying himself for the impending horrors. Once he was sure he was ready for the course, the kid next to him just had to speak up, his demure blond hair reminding Renji of an earlier incident.

"Hey, you're the one I blew up in Hadō Applied! Sorry about that, I shouldn't have tried a Hadō without an incantation—"

"THERE ISN'T AN INCANTATION FOR BYAKURAI!" Renji furiously interrupted the student, "You could have _killed_ me!"

The student continued, undaunted, smiling all the way through, "But I hear it's nearly impossible to overcharge a Bakudō, so don't you worry!"

"Oh, hell no!" Renji cried, flailing his hand wildly, "I request a relocation!"

 _Ichigo- Hadō Applied, Continued_

"All right, Kurosaki, ready to fire your Shakkahō?"

"Yes, sensei" Ichigo replied, determined to succeed where Renji had failed (in his first round of academy training).

Placing his left hand beneath his right, Ichigo lined up the downrange target between his index and middle finger and began the incantation.

"Vous seigneur masque de chair et de sang, toute la création, battement d'ailes, vous! Qui porte le nom de l'homme! Inferno et pandémonium, la barrière de lames de fond, marche vers le sud! Hadō numéro trente-et-un! Shakkahō!"

The red energy ball flew downrange, and Ichigo was sure he'd done it. The thing was slow as all hell, but it crawled its way diligently—some onlookers would say 'desperately'—towards the dummy. Ichigo's heart swelled with pride as it neared the target, he was going to get it on his _first_ try! Take that, Pineapple Head!

Then it started to sink.

 _'No!'_ Ichigo desperately pleaded.

 _"Go! Go! Go! Go!"_ The Hollow chanted, his tone indicated he was enjoying Ichigo's predicament.

A sinking ship, however, is already sunk. Despite Ichigo's desperate pleas and his inner hollow's chanting, the red ball of (not) death and (certainly not) destruction took a sizable chunk out of the dirt and an equivalently sized chunk out of Ichigo's pride.

 _'Crap.'_

The instructor was silent for a moment as he pondered the Shakkahō he had just witnessed. Suddenly, he sucked in a breath, a warning to Ichigo that he had prepared his verdict.

"Right… not enough power…"

"What?!" Ichigo's shriek nearly drowned out his hollow's mad laughter.

 _Renji- Bakudō Applied, Continued_

A very wary Renji, whose request was not granted, fidgeted as he impatiently waited for his turn. His heart skipped as he watched the student to his left execute a (relatively) successful Bakudō.  
 _'This is it'_ Renji pumped himself up, _'It's attempt two. Admittedly, attempt one wasn't the best. I think Kurotsuchi-taicho, no; Urahara may end up scraping those off his division's roof… I've memorized the incantation backwards, forwards, upside-down, and in French. All I need to do is not overcharge the Bakudō and I'll be fine. Watch me, Strawberry, I'm going to get it on my first (second) try!'_

"Abarai, step up to the line!" The instructor ordered for the second time that class.

"Yes, Sir." Renji replied, rising from his seiza position to take his stance behind the firing line.

 _'Here we go, start with the incantation and go from there…'_

Renji breathed deeply.

"Bakudō number one, Sai!" Renji shouted, surging power through the spiritual vents located in his wrist, and arcing the Reiatsu to ensnare the wrists of the dummy, and trap them securely behind its back with a flourish of his arm.

"Congratulations, Abarai. That was debatably the best Bakudō number one I've seen all day." The instructor praised.

 _'I did it…'_ Renji grinned liked a madman as he took his seat, _'Success!'_

 ** _A/N: Sai has no incantation_**

 _Ichigo- Bakudō Applied (1st Year)_

"Kurosaki, I know you don't have any experience or prior knowledge when it comes to Bakudō, but I would like to use you for our demonstration. Please use Bakudō number one on the test dummy."

"Yes, ma'am." Ichigo replied, taking position behind the firing line.

Ichigo, not about to have a repeat of his Shakkahō failure, breathed as he began to channel enormous amounts of energy through his wrist vents.

"Bakudō number one! Sai!" Ichigo surged the gathered energy at the dummy, effectively blowing its arms clear into the 12thdivision.

"Control the power next time, Kurosaki, and I imagine it will be successful. The only other student we had who over charged Bakudō number one was in a second-year class—earlier today if I'm not mistaken. Although, since he was able to get it on _his_ second attempt, I will allow _you_ a chance to redeem yourself. Encore, Kurosaki."

"Yes, ma'am" Ichigo replied, stifling as much power as he could before targeting the dummy.

"Bakudō number one, Sai!"

Silence reigned.

The dummy's left arm twitched .

"It _moved_!" Ichigo cheered, "It didn't work, but at least I _hit_ it!"

The instructor sweat dropped, "Well done Kurosaki…?"

 _Common Area_

"I heard a first-year student blew the arms clean off the training dummy with _Sai_!"

"Really? I heard it was a second-year who did it."

"Yeah, me too."  
The school was abuzz with rumors as the students spread the already tired tale about the uncontrollable monster that blew the arms off a training dummy. Ichigo and Renji, meanwhile, were floating each other pitying glances.

"As long as they don't put a name to a face, we should be fine." Renji stated, eyes darting back and forth.

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably, "If only it were that easy. There were forty students who saw me rip the arms off that dummy. If anything, there were more who saw you do it. We'll be all over the school paper by tomorrow!"

Renji began pacing, "Oh man, when we have to release our Shikai it will be worse! The Gotei will be hounding our ass for commitment to a division!"

"Maybe we play the idiot! You know, pretend we haven't achieved Shikai and never achieve Shikai until we graduate. At least then our releases won't be completely overpowered."

Renji nodded in agreement, "That would've have worked had we not shown our prowess. The Zanjutsu instructor won't believe for a second that we didn't achieve Shikai in all our years. While we don't want suspicion, suspicion regarding secrecy is worse than suspicion regarding a need to be nerfed."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Ichigo trailed off

Renji snapped his fingers, "I've got it!"

"It?"

"The 'Gentei Kaijo' seal. It's a seal developed for lieutenant and higher-class Shinigami who are dispatched to the World of the Living. If we can get Urahara to develop a pair of those for us we would be at a fifth of our normal power."

Ichigo brightened

"Oh yeah, I remember that. Against Grimmjow's Fracción, right?"

"When we first met."

Ichigo's eyes stared far away, "Right, forgot about that."

"However, we can't gamble on Urahara having his memories."  
"We go to Yoruichi then. She knows him best and we know she has her memories, she should know if Kisuke has his memories as well."

* * *

"No."

"What?" Ichigo gasped, "How is that even possible?!"

Yoruichi Shihōin shrugged, sincerely perplexed.

"I have no idea why Kisuke didn't come back with us, I mean, he was in the room with the three of us when he tried to replicate Orihime's powers."

"You don't think it was his silly 'indestructible' Gigai that prevented him from time traveling, do you?"

"It's possible. His Gigai was designed to hold in as much spiritual pressure as possible and destroy any spiritual pressure that got by. I don't know how this would have impacted anything, but it's the only logical reason I can come up with."

Renji sighed, "That's disappointing. Looks like we aren't only stuck here, we also have to live through events that we already lived through."

"Yoruichi, what about those time paradoxes?"

"Well, I can only speak for those who believe in souls of course, but because there can only be one of each soul, those circumstances in which someone meets their past self do not apply."

"Good… I think."

"Yes, it is good."

"Thanks, Yoruichi. Kisuke is your third seat, right?"

"Oh damn I thought he was in charge of the Twelfth." Renji mused.

"Spot on, which means you could probably take him, Ichigo."

A baleful grin formed on Ichigo's face

"Oh, hell yeah, I am _so_ paying him back for those 'kill or be killed + resolve = indomitable power' training days."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Guess who's baaaack? No promises this time — this story goes on for as long as I feel like with no scheduled updates. I just got bored. I only have the one chapter written and part of one fight scene I may or may not use way down the line, so it may be a bit for the next one.

Anyway, I'll be taking suggestions for future episodes of this 'sitcom' fic if anyone feels particularly inspired.

Whether or not I put in an actual plot later likely depends on my level of interest, so for now expect little story arcs that don't last longer than three chapters.

As for the chronology, I was pretty lazy so cut me some slack. You know what, let's just call it AU! Then I can take some 'artistic liberties'.

Let me know how happy y'all are with the style, I'm trying to create context and details through the dialogue. Lmk how I'm doin.


	2. 2

Chapter 2!

I know. I know! Better get used to it. I apologize this one is a bit shorter than the last one.

* * *

 _Day 7: Hohō Technique/Theory_

"Alright students" Hamasaki-sensei prefaced the day's activities following her cordial good morning. Unfortunately, Ichigo and Renji had no idea that classes were scheduled on Sundays for some reason, certain individuals would say it's just to spite Catholicism…

"How the fuck did you forget something like this, Renji? Weren't you stuck here for four years?"

"To be perfectly honest I avoided scheduling on Sundays at all costs. Between angsting about the Kuchikis and raging alcoholism, I needed two days off."

Ichigo blinked, "Wow this has been a heavy start to chapter two. Wait, does that make me an enabler here?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Renji hiccupped slightly as he swayed awkwardly down the stone pathway.

"Is there some law in the Soul Society regarding drinking and flash stepping?"

"Probably."

"How are you so impossibly ignorant of the goings of Soul Society?"

"Angsting about the Kuchikis takes more time and effort than you realize, Ichigo."

… and as a result, he and Renji celebrated their first lazy Sunday morning by getting absolutely wasted. Considering there were only two people and an 'impartial' black cat, it was a pretty bangin' party. However, they had to quit drinking and hustle to class which, as one can imagine, has proven to be an arduous task.

"Now that Kurosaki-san and Abarai-san have decided to grace us with their presence, I can start this whole process over." Hamasaki's tone was tinged with an uncharacteristic amount of venom, "On second thought, you can be my assistants this session."

"Wait, not this again." Renji sighed.

"I hope he knows this joke will only take him so far. This is just desperate."

"You know as well as I do Yoruichi will be coming here today for some unknown reason and pull some anachronism out of her ass."

"Abarai-san!" Hamasaki shouted across the classroom, "Show some respect to the Captain of Squad Two! For your information _Shihōin-taicho_ will not be joining us this morning. However, she has shown considerable interest in this class — for reasons unbeknownst to me — and, if you'd showed up on time, you would have heard that a member of the Onmitsukidō is coming in today."

Ichigo paled, "Wait a second, only one person can possibly be worse than Yoruichi…"

 _"Two people, mate"_

 _'Two people.'_ Ichigo agreed with his negative.

"Please welcome Miss Suì-Fēng, You would do well to treat her with the utmost respect." If Renji didn't know any better, he would've guessed that Hamasaki directed that comment to him and him alone.

In typical Suì-Fēng fashion, she simply flash stepped next to Hamasaki at the front of the room, "Greetings, students. I've been given a rather unique task — one that comes straight from one of Soul Society's greatest minds."

 _'Kurotsuchi? Is he even out of the loony bin yet?'_

"Captain Shihōin entrusted me a special prototype system developed to introduce aspiring students to the wonders of compound flash step in rhythm. This skill may admittedly be beyond your capabilities, but, as students who have demonstrated proficiency with flash step, I believe you will find today to be fruitful. Now then… Pineapple, Strawberry, front and center!"

"Ohhh" Ichigo mumbled as he swayed.

"I knew this was too convenient." Renji grumbled, slamming his head into the desk in hopes of knocking himself unconscious. Cast failure.

"Come on, I don't have all day. I'm only doing this as a favor on one of my days off, and those come few and far between so I'm already in a bad enough mood as it is."

Hamasaki took a step forward, "Renji, Ichigo, let's go."

Chairs screeched in unison as the pair shot up and staggered to the front — at the very least curious about this new secret prototype Suì-Fēng had gotten her hands on. So they stood, swaying ever so slightly, on either side of Suì-Fēng. Ichigo and Renji looked pretty sorry up on stage. Renji's uneven braid was only supplemented by Ichigo's disastrous bed head. Their dishevelment was not lost on Suì-Fēng; however, upon making eye contact with an inconspicuous black cat, she followed orders and refrained from calling them out. Neither Ichigo nor Renji noticed this interaction.

"Now then," Suì-Fēng stepped forward just like Hamasaki had, only she began reaching into her shihakusho "time to unveil the prototype."

All the students edged forward in their seats as Suì-Fēng's arm drew out from whatever pocket she reached into. Their "ooh's and ah's" alerted Ichigo and Renji — who were standing behind her — that she was in fact displaying the device. Peering around her shoulder, the time traveling pair laid eyes on… a smartphone.

"What?"

"I knew there'd be an anachronism!"

"Now then, according to the inventor, the most effective use of this device is, and I am quoting here, a 'dance battle'."

"This must be a joke." Ichigo sighed.

"Far from it, Kurosaki-san." Suì-Fēng glared at him "This is cutting edge technology invented by none other than Yoruichi Shihōin! Show some respect."

He supposed he couldn't argue with her on those grounds. The cellular device was certainly cutting edge.

"Me versus him?" Orange grinned as he gestured at Renji.

"You got it." Suì-Fēng nodded, "Do not forget that Shunpo must be incorporated _heavily_ into the routine. I will act as the administrator and… spin this shit."

Ichigo was not sure what song he was expecting Suì-Fēng to play, but it was not _Crank That_.

"I'm not doing the dance, Suì-Fēng." Ichigo deadpanned

"What dance?" Before she could continue, the orange-haired, formerly substitute Shinigami turned Quincy-Visored hybrid rounded on Renji.

"Listen Renji, it's nothing personal. This is a matter of pride."

"You're damn right it is Ichigo. I'm from Inuzuri, you can't think I don't have rhythm?"

"No more double negatives." Suì-Fēng locked it down by signaling both combatants, "Thirty seconds each. Ichigo, you started the trash talk, so you may go first."

Ichigo shrugged and shot Renji a cocky look as he dipped and bobbed for a sec before executing a flawless Shunpo backflip into the splits. Despite the fact Ichigo's thirty seconds had just begun, Renji flash stepped into a front flip, landing on Ichigo's head before kicking off and landing smoothly and silently.

Standing up, Ichigo glared blearily at Renji, "it's gonna be like that, huh?"

"She said dance _battle,_ imbecile!"

In a flash, swords were drawn and slammed into one another. The blades clashed with the beat as the two blurred in masterful combinations of flash step. Suì-Fēng decided then and there that, deadlier than any Shikai release, a drunk soul reaper trying to figure out how to moonwalk into a sword strike is a force to be reckoned with. Soon kidō became involved as Renji twirled a Sajō Sabaku around Ichigo who, in his drunken rashness, promptly fired a Shakkahō into Renji's chest.

"Some battle, huh?"

"No kidding."

"This is madness!" Hamasaki shouted over the rhythmic clashes and explosions.

"This is training." Suì-Fēng calmly corrected her as Renji, the Hadō having incinerated his upper uniform, reenacted footloose while shooting Byakurai at the elusive Ichigo.

 _Renji — Kidō Theory_

"Abarai, what are you doing? It's not your turn…"

Although Renji technically failed to respond, the instructor did catch the slightest of murmurings from his student, "today is a discussion on low level Bakudō, Abarai, not Hadō."

This time, Renji raised the volume of his murmurs, "Sorry sensei, I have some serious steam to blow off, and my uniform already got blown up"

"Oh… I'll alert custodial services."

A student with undercut brown hair meekly peeked his hazel eyes around Renji, "Renji that sure smells like sake…!"

"SHAKKAHŌ!"

 _Ichigo — Hadō Theory_

Staring out the window had become a hobby of Ichigo's in this class. He really could see why Renji decided to be terrible at Kidō — it was so incredibly dry. Out of focus, He heard the instructor droning on about how specifically not to fire a Shakkahō spell. Renji had shown him numerous times, specifically, how not to fire a Shakkahō, and as a result Ichigo was utterly uninterested in the theory of overcharging spells. Suddenly, Ichigo couldn't see anything as his vision went pure white. He was only able to blink once before the shock wave following the flash rattled the glass, brining him back to reality. On high alert as his vision came back, he noticed smoke rising from another section of Shin'ō's Kidō district. Ichigo smiled in spite of the hangover that was starting to set in.

 _'At least Renji is having a worse day than me.'_

 _Common Area_

"Functioning alcoholism is all about responsibly borrowing happiness from the next day." Renji groaned between meager sips of room temperature water.

"Shut the fuck up, Renji. This is all your fault anyway."

Using the last of his remaining willpower, Renji sent a withering glare for a small second before returning to cloud gazing.

"It's a nice day" He commented offhandedly.

"Perfect for nursing a hangover?"

"Perfect for nursing a hangover."

A comfortable silence ensued, sustained by the occasionally sipping and swallowing. They rested on the bench, pleasantly watching the students stroll by — some hurried, others taking in the easy breeze — until Renji noticed a familiar face sitting on a neighboring bench.

"I feel kind of bad, Ichigo." Orange hair swished as the individual perked up, "We've been here for barely a week and I have already blown that kid up three times in my Hadō and Bakudō classes."

"How'd you manage that in Bakudō?"

"Not the point." His eyebrow twitched slightly, "I feel like I should apologize."

"You haven't apologized to him once?"

"Don't give me that look, Ichigo, it's harder than you think to apologize to someone after blowing the crap out of them and yourself."

"I'm sure you'll find the time to do that. Why hasn't he asked to move from next to you?"

"You know I don't know. Maybe he's a bit of an idiot."

"Maybe..."

Silence reigned once more.

* * *

A few weeks passed by relatively uneventfully. Ichigo still struggled consistently with Kidō despite his best efforts, but he figured his excuse was better than Renji's. However, the former Lieutenant was, annoyingly, improving to the point of usability.

"You know the only reason I had shit marks was because I didn't care, right Ichigo? I'm basically a Captain class Soul Reaper. I think I can relearn Kidō."

"What about all those explosions?"

"My emotions get the best of me sometimes…"

All in all, things settled down as the academic period hit its stride. The visits from Yoruichi or other members of the Gotei 13/Onmitsukidō were a thing of the past, and the students were busy being students. Doing student things that students do. Take Renji for example:

 _Hadō Applied_

"Listen up Abarai, I'd like you and Kurami to demonstrate Hadō number thirty-three, Sōkatsui. Kurami has demonstrated an impressive affinity for learning and demonstrating new spells, while I just don't like you, Abarai."

The class chuckled nervously as they shrunk back, eyeing Abarai for any kind of reaction. The man just shrugged; he'd long since accepted that fact. He waited patiently for the poor soul who would have to be on the receiving end of what would likely be another overcharged spell only to notice who walked up to him. He was noticeably shorter than the admittedly tall Renji, but that wasn't what stood out to him about this particular student.

"How do you always get saddled with me?"

Kurami shrugged, "One way or another, I end up in situations like this pretty often. I've given up wondering."

"You may be the unluckiest soul I've ever encountered."

"You have no idea." Kurami responded with a wry grin.

"I've had a tough day so far. You know I'm going to blow you up." It was not a question.

"Don't worry about it." The student waved his hand disarmingly, "I've given up doing my hair on days I have this class."

Renji blinked at the reasoning but accepted it nonetheless, "Drinks are on me."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Students, take your mark!"

The students took their marks.

"On your own time."

"Sōkatsui!"

Kurami sighed, "Damn it Renji."

 _Common Area_

Ichigo calmly soaked up what was likely to be one of the last pleasant rays of sun before Soul Society slipped into winter while communicating with his Zanpakutō.

"I didn't realize learning all of these introductory techniques would be so challenging." He grumbled impatiently.

 _"It's only natural, Ichigo. You and I both know you've formed natural instincts that sometimes counter what is considered proper mechanics. While they try and teach you a basic Zanjutsu stance your body screams at you to take the stance most suited to your fighting style. Renji Abarai is the same way."_

 _'But what about Kidō? I never used any Kidō spells so why am I struggling with those?'_

 _"Because you're a fucking moron, Ichigo!"_

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the sudden intrusion of warped voice.

 _'We all know you're really the manifestation of any extra chromosomes that may be floating around, so this may be your fault.'_

 _"That's not an appropriate insult, Ichigo, but you're right."_

 _'Wait I am? He's really the manif—'_

 _"No!"_ His Quincy powers interrupted before he could go down that path again, _"Because your Shinigami powers are the product of true Shinigami powers merging with a Hollow virus, Kidō spells designed for true Shinigami are likely going to be challenging."_

 _'That makes a lot of sense. Thanks, Old Man! Wow wait, Hachi must have had a seriously tough time adjusting.'_

 _"My pleasure. Now, Renji Abarai has been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes."_

 _'Ah shit.'_

"Ichigo, what the hell? I've never known you to doze off in the middle of the day."

"You're a Soul Reaper, genius, you know exactly what I was doing!"

"Wait, you two can already communicate with your Zanpakutō?"

The silence was deafening.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked tepidly, worried that he'd just blown his cover in some way, shape or form.

"He's Hikaru Kurami, the kid I keep blowing up."

"Why did you just sing-song his name? Well whatever… you finally manned up and apologized at least."

"Shaddup Ichigo, we're drinking this Friday and you're joining us."

"I am?"

"Assuming Kurami is cool with it. He _is_ the one I owe anyway."

"The more the merrier, but you know you don't have to do this right? I kind of thought you were joking. It never really bothered me in the first place."

"Shaddup Kurami, I'm buying you drinks and you're gonna like it."

"… if you insist."

* * *

 _Saturday Morning ish_

Ichigo's vision slowly but surely came back to him. Brilliant sunlight flashed across his vision, immediately making him wish he was unconscious again.

 _'What the hell happened?'_

 _"You went drinking with Renji Abarai and Hikaru Kurami."_

 _'Why did you just sing-song his name like that?'_

 _"I don't know what you're talking about."_

 _"What do you mean, you clearly just—"_

"Ah haa, you're finally awake!" A very recognizable individual exclaimed gleefully, unknowingly interrupting the two's banter, "Something about alcohol seems to draw you to my division. It must be the hands of fate."

"Captain Kyōraku? How'd I end up here?"

That famous pink kimono swished, and a glass of water migrated to Ichigo's hand.

"I swear to god if this is that stupid hangover cure I will Bankai your ass."

"Oh my, Ichigo, that wouldn't be very nice." A genial smile in place, but gray eyes glinting in surprise, "I assure you it's just water."

After a couple satisfying sips, Ichigo continued his salvo of questioning, "Where are Renji and Hikaru?"

"Unless they skipped out without my knowing, they're right next door."

"I'm impressed you remember all our names, Captain."

"Of course! You introduced yourselves to me. How could I forget such friendly faces?"

If possible, Ichigo's respect for the man increased. Little did he know there was a little more to it than that.

"You're more than welcome to rouse them. I'm quite fond of my standard carpeting, despite their best impressions. I must say, you three are quite the mighty good time! That Hikaru fellow couldn't seem to catch a break with some of those games."

"Games?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "What exactly did we do last night?"

"My, Ichigo" a smile lightened Kyōraku's soft jab, "you seem to be developing a penchant for an unhealthy habit."

"I'm not sure you're in any position to be saying stuff like that."

"Well you see it all started with you three showing up a bar, and of course Matsumoto-san…"

 _Flashback_

"You're going down this time Kyōraku!" Rangiku Matsumoto shouted, slamming down her bottle of sake, "I've been training for this moment all month!"

White hair swished as both individuals looked down to see a diminutive—

"I'm a child you nitwit."

To see a _child_ occupying the stool between them, nodding in agreement, "This I can vouch for. She demonstrated exceptional diligence and discipline in maintaining her inebriated state from eight _A.M._ to two A.M. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday each week. In the future, Kyōraku-Taicho, my Lieutenant does not need any more incentive to shirk her duties."

Kyōraku tipped his hat, "My sincerest apologies, Tōshirō, but motivating our subordinates _is_ an important duty of the Captains of the Gotei 13."

"I wish I could say I hate you." The third seat of the Tenth grumbled as the Captain ruffled his hair.

The door to the bar opened and closed as the three students wandered in, "Don't look so glum, Ichigo! This is your first time being in a Seireitei bar. Tonight, we pop your public intoxication cherry!"

"I hope you know that statement is literally almost entirely false, incorrect and wrong, Renji."

"I may or may not have started before we got here."

"I'm starting to think you need to see someone about this."

Interested in who this 'first timer' might be, the three Gotei officers turned around lazily.

 _Flashback Break_

"Imagine our pleasant surprise when we saw your silly mop of orange hair!"

Ichigo's eyes darkened, "You can't just say that stuff to people's faces!"

 _Flashback Resume_

"Ichigo!" Both Kyōraku and Matsumoto cried in happiness.

"Oh yeaaaah, I forgot you met them already." Renji drawled, strolling up to the bar and sliding through the crowd with practiced ease, "Yo, Shinsuke…"

So Kurami and Ichigo were left to stand there, one in slight disbelief and the other in annoyed anticipation of what was to come, "Shit."

"Long time no see, friend!" Kyōraku looped an arm around his shoulder, "How about a drink on your friendly neighborhood alcoholic?"

"I think Pineapple is way ahead of you."

"Beaten to the punch? Get it? Fruit?" Kyōraku didn't stay to see his joke land as he turned and ran to the bar. His floral kimono sweeping behind him as he waved his hand in the air, "Shinsuke, double time!"

That left Matsumoto to occupy center stage. "So what _are_ you doing here? I thought you left to join the academy."

"Piss for brains over there dragged me to the bars against my will, but yes, I am currently enrolled at Shin'ō."

"Wow neat! Don't forget to consider the good ol' Tenth Division when the time comes! We've already had one prodigy steamroll our ranks, what's wrong with one more?"

Although she may not always get the credit she deserves, Matsumoto has quite the keen eye for observation. However, noticing Ichigo's and Kurami's suddenly calculating looks she brushed her hair back and laughed.

"Don't look at me like that, you and the pineapple are generating quite the buzz among the squads. It takes a lot of power to make mistakes on the magnitude you two do! Don't think I don't know about you either, Kurami. You have managed to pique my Captain's interest. The advanced class this year is certainly quite advanced."

Kurami, who was trying his best to rationalize to Renji that he could drink faster if Renji didn't shove the alcohol down his throat, paused to glance over and subsequently endured a mouthful of…

"Vodka!" Matsumoto hopped over to Renji, "You know what that means!"

"Drinking games!" Kyōraku gleefully cheered as he returned sporting a bottle in each hand, "I've got just the right game to start us off."

 _Some odd amount of time later_

"What squad do you have your eyes set on, Kurami? Considering the tenth division and its lovely lieutenant?"

Kurami laughed good naturedly, rank and opportunity demanded he be articulate despite the looseness he'd already begun to feel, "I'd be a fool not to consider the Tenth. I have a lot of respect for your division's values as well as the men and women living by them."

Rangiku furrowed her brow in mock annoyance, cutting him off before he could continue, "If you start treating this like an interview, I'm going to be upset with you."

"Okay, okay. To be honest, I have my eye on the Second Division. I've even thought about joining the detention force organization on campus. I think my skill set as I understand it fits in well."

"Now that sounds like a proper answer! Don't forget to keep your options open; you _are_ only a first year. Things will change. Whatever division you choose they'll be lucky to have you. Now, higher or lower?"

"Lower on the Jack."

"Kurami that's the sixth straight time, I feel kind of bad now." Matsumoto looked over as the slim student tossed another one back.

"Oh no, no worries ma'am. This usually happens."

"It's been a long time since someone called me ma'am!" Matsumoto laughed, slapping him on the back, "Just Rangiku is fine. No reason to keep that back stiff, these names are given for a reason after all."

Now officially too drunk to care that he was in the presence of some of the highest-ranking officials in the Soul Society, the student smiled lopsidedly, "Hikaru."

"It's a pleasure."

"Stop wasting time so you can sober up, Hikaru." Renji interrupted, waggling a card in front of him, "Higher or lower?"

"Higher on the four."

"Wrong again!"

"Damn."

 _More odd amounts of time later_

"Not shure how I feel about this, Capitan~" Ichigo sang to the still sober Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who gained a look of confusion salted with dark satisfaction. While confused about being addressed outside his rank, at least the student was finally showing him respect.

"I feel _great_ about this, Kurosaki. Now then," pausing briefly to think of a question, "who would you go gay for in this room?"

"That's not fair, _Captain_!"

"Well we can't ask questions that have a certain outcome, _Rangiku_."

Internally, Rangiku was grinning, Tōshirō was slowly getting more and more into the games.

 _Additional odd amount of time later_

"Rangikuu this isn't fair! Youu're targeting mee." Tōshirō whined, finally having been fully roped in by his Lieutenant, "You know I'm no good at this."

"I plead the fifth, Tōshirō!"

"Is this even legal?" Hikaru whispered to Renji.

"The guy could kill a thousand souls with just a thought. If he can legally hold that Zanpakutō, I think he can legally consume alcohol. Both at the same time may be a different story…"

 _Flashback Break_

"Hang on, Captain, how'd we end up back here?"

"Oh that's easy. Shinsuke kicked us out just before closing time so I brought you all back here! Who knew little Tōshirō has such a strong constitution?"

It was then Ichigo took in the state of the training grounds with a mixture of horror and pride, "What did we do to this place."

"We may have inspired a competition between the Eighth and Tenth Divisions. Most bars in the Seireitei close around the same time, so we ran into quite a few folks who were also on their way back. You were on my team of course, Ichigo-kun. The two traitors went with Tōshirō and Rangiku."

 _Flashback Resume_

"The first biannual sake relay race will now commence! Remember, you must _consume_ all liquid in the cup before you can attempt to successfully flip the cup _onto_ the table. Only then may you Shunpo to the far wall of the barracks, and back, and tag the next individual in."

"How'd you convince Yadomaru-fukutaicho to officiate this?" Kyōraku heard Ichigo wondered absentmindedly.

"That's an easy one. She's never been much of a drinker and I told her I'd handle the paperwork so she could have the weekend off."

"Do you even know how to do paperwork, Kyōraku?"

"Now is as good a time as any to learn, isn't it?" He winked at the prodigal student from underneath his hat.

"Begin!"

Kyōraku had never seen chaos quite like this, but to his pleasant surprise the poor academy student they'd dragged along seemed to be holding his own as he flashed to and fro. He was winded no doubt, but not too far off pace.

 _Flashback end_

"That was a pretty well-rounded account, Captain. I'm impressed." Ichigo muttered, slightly in disbelief.

"Well I did have a bit of help hehe." The man chuckled innocently while glancing around.

"I should grab Renji and Hikaru and find my way back to the academy." Ichigo decided as he bowed, "I really can't thank you enough, Captain. You've done more than enough for us, we won't bother you any longer."

"The pleasure has been all mine, friend. When you're as old as me and something comes along that shakes up the pace, I rarely see it as anything but a blessing. It's been quite fun. Don't be a stranger now!" Kyōraku waved as Ichigo collected his friends and assured Hikaru he was not, in fact, dying; it was just the hangover.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Let me know what you think. I was lacking inspiration, clearly, and just so happened to be hungover.

Also, don't worry, that Squad 2 anachronism trope won't keep recurring.

Fourth wall breaks you may have to get used to.


	3. 3

Bear with this chapter, it's going to be slow, but I promise the next one/two will be worth it… I think. I will try my best. I have the next chapter practically written, but I need some time to pass relatively meaningfully between what is happening in the beginning of this one and the events in next chapter.

* * *

 _Some more amount of time later_

Nakamura Haru let out a heavy sigh as he set Ichigo's assessment back on his desk. As far as he could tell, the boy seemed smart. Maybe if he spent less time looking out the window or spacing out entirely, he'd actually have an impressive grade in the class. Instead, the assessment was mostly unremarkable with the exception of the occasional 'accident'.

 _'I swear to god I can hear the Kidō explosions now. I can't imagine what would happen if we stuck him and that Abarai fellow in the same practice chamber. I'm not entirely sure the campus would survive.'_

The sound of objects sprinkling his window shook him from his musings. Nakamura glanced outside, initially believing it to be rain.

 _'Why are the students all running like that? It's just a little rain...'_

Upon closer inspection, Nakamura made the appropriate observation that the objects plinking against his windows were not raindrops, but ceramic shards raining from the sky. He knew then what he thought was a post traumatic hallucination had, in fact, been reality. Deep down he knew it wasn't a hollow or invading militia. No, he knew exactly who to blame.

…

Now outside the smoldering wreckage of a training facility, and having lined up the three delinquent students, the instructor contemplated doling out punishments. Reaching a decision and pinching the bridge of his nose in slight disbelief, Nakamura Haru stepped forward to do just that.

"From the moment it started raining shingles outside my office, Kurosaki, somehow I knew it was you and Abarai at the heart of this. Don't give me that look, Abarai, Yamaguchi-sensei is fairly vocal about—how to put this delicately—not being your biggest fan."

"He hates my guts." Renji deadpanned.

Ignoring him, Nakamura scanned the slightly nervous third party, "Although I was previously unaware of your struggles with Kidō, whoever you are, I cannot give you the benefit of the doubt in this situation. Hopefully you can understand my position here."

"No hard feelings, Sensei."

"Look, I'll go easy on you three because you're first-year students and this is, incomprehensibly, your first _actual_ offense. With that in mind, I'll just keep it to one Saturday spent volunteering at a Fourth Division field hospital South of Shin'ō. The timetable is intentionally open-ended. The commanding officer will let you know when it's appropriate to leave. Don't worry, this is something we've done in the past. They won't keep you for an unusual amount of time unless you prove to be distasteful."

"Did you have a date in mind, or is that open-ended as well?"

"Mind the sass, Kurosaki. You and I both know the punishment could've been a lot heavier."

Renji nudged Ichigo, "He's right, don't push it. We're not getting out of this one."

Ignoring the orange-haired student's huff, Nakamura continued, "The date will have to be arranged with Captain Unohana or her Lieutenant. While neither of them will be thrilled to see this form pass their desks, it's better than showing up unannounced. Besides, the Fourth could always use extra hands. If any of you three know any healing Kidō this could be a great career opportunity."

"We appreciate your consideration, Nakamura-sensei." Hikaru bowed, "We'll be in touch with Ichigo, so just pass the information to him once the logistics are sorted."

"I like this one." Nakamura hummed approvingly, "I'll be sure to do that. For now, feel free to occupy yourselves with anything apart from blowing up buildings. I'll go draw up the request and deal with the board."

The instructor turned away for the journey to his office, stopping himself after one step. He turned around with a small smile, leaving his parting words, "By the way guys, nice boom."

Renji noticed Ichigo's mouth begin to open and, with a swift elbow to the ribs, nipped the imminent snide comment in the bud. "You really are a dumbass, aren't you?"

"What the hell, asshole?" He wheezed, clutching his side.

With Nakamura officially out of range, Renji broached a topic he knew he'd need to sooner or later. "If we continue training on Academy grounds, we're going to lose our edge. We can't afford that."

"I see what you're getting at." Ichigo nodded, "The underground training facility, where we both trained for Ban—holy shit, Hikaru, you're still here!"

"Uh, yeah?" The slimmer student replied dumbly, his uniform still singed from the veritable bomb, "Did you guys actually forget I was here?"

"You're just so damn quiet sometimes."

"Sorry?"

 _Hideout_

"I can't believe you almost blew it in front of Hikaru, that was sloppy."

"Gimme a break, don't get all high and mighty, you totally forgot he was there too!"

"Maybe I did. I still wasn't going to spout off about our Bankai training!"

"It was a trip down memory lane! It's been awhile after all…" Ichigo trailed off as he took in the current state of the underground facility, "What the hell is all this?"

Renji strolled purposefully over to the extremity of the grounds, strolling conveniently by a plethora of open container containing the paintball guns, leaning down to examine the crates. Quickly, he stood up shaking his head, "I've never seen this stuff before."

The sedimentary eastern wall was hidden behind a mountain of wooden crates with a strange red label on them. Ichigo followed Renji over and took in the symbol, racking his brain to try and place the logo. After a moment, he took out Zangetsu and pried the lid off one of them.

 _"Great, now I'm a crowbar."_

"I think it's catnip, a whole lot of it." Ichigo muttered in disbelief, eyes wide as he surveyed the repository.

"Catnip?"

"Yoruichi." The pair chorused.

 _Flashback_

"Yoruichi, we can't possibly need this much catnip. How long are you expecting to live?" Kisuke whined as he continued to haul in the seemingly endless number of crates, "Also, this might have gone a lot faster if you actually _helped._ "

"Stop whining, Kisuke, I have a great vision for the future of Soul Society. When the Shihōin family begins to publicly acknowledge cats as a symbol of royalty, cats will become commonplace in all households! When that happens, we'll corner the market."

The third seat of Squad 2 sighed in exasperation, "How did you even know what 'catnip' is? I've never heard of it. Has the Shihōin family fallen on hard times recently?"

"It's the principle of the thing." Yoruichi, ignoring his first question, nodded with satisfaction as Kisuke stacked another crate, "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Oh, I get it now. Catnip won't show up on Shinigami drug tests! You're going to turn into a cat and get high as a kite! Your business model is just a front!"

"Out, Kisuke!"

 _Flashback End_

Ichigo moved his hand to his chin and nodded, "Yeah, that's definitely how it went."

While Ichigo was creating subjective, but important, historical context, Renji had moved on to other endeavors: continuing to investigate for more potential discoveries. To the right of the catnip, a couple crates boasted a hauntingly familiar logo.

"Ichigo I found the guns!"

"Guns?!"

"Paintball guns."

Ichigo sighed, "I suppose this would be where they'd keep it. In hindsight I don't really know where else it would go. Wait, does Sui-Feng know about this place? Should we not be here?"

"I doubt Yoruichi would get Sui-Feng involved with this facility just yet. Remember, she knows we remember this place. Logically, we'd need an off-campus location to train at full power, and this place fits the bill perfectly. She's smart enough to know we'd find our way here eventually and also to not risk discovery by looping in Sui-Feng."

Ichigo eyed Renji's head warily, "I'm really starting to think this time travel thing knocked something into place up there."

"Was something out of place before?"

"Yes."

During the light banter, their bodies had subconsciously taken them to stand opposite one another in a dirt arena. A slight lull in the dialogue was all the spark the two needed before their spirit energies engulfed the room like wildfire, razing every corner.

"Ban—"

"Ka—"

"Enough!"

The two furious powers reared before briskly dissipating. Now unspoken for, the tension settled around the parties like ominous mist. The ambient power made the new individual's reiatsu impossible to identify. This person's voice, however, was a dead giveaway.

"What's with all the catnip?" Inquired Yoruichi Shihōin curiously as she walked up, brushing some dust from her hair.

Ichigo glanced at Renji before looking back to her, "You mean, all this isn't yours?"

"Of course not, what did you think? The leader of the Onmitsukidō would just slip out on Wednesday nights and some quiet Sunday mornings to get seventies stoned in cat form because the Shinigami do not test for catnip?"

Ichigo blinked, "No, no, that's exactly what I thought."

"Ok, well, maybe I do. Let this secret leak and the whole Seireitei will know exactly who Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai are." Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, hidden lighting flashing a dangerous gold.

"I think it's so threatening because I'm not really sure what she means." Renji tugged lightly at his collar, paling ever so slightly.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes, deciding to not mince words. She allowed a slight amount of urgency to show in her tone so the two would know to take her seriously. "Okay you two, I have two important things I need to tell you—I guess three now. Listen up, you'll want to pay attention."

She was a millionaire in attention now.

"I've been training with Kisuke for the past couple of months to learn how to perform the Gentei Reiin. Sometimes it's nice to have friends who get up to weirder shit than you, because they never ask questions. Anyway, now I can apply the Gentei Reiin seal, sealing your powers by eighty percent." Cutting off the two with a raised hand, she continued, "Don't interrupt, we can get to that after I tell you about the next two things. The next thing is about your friend Hikaru Kurami and—I swear Ichigo if you say something about me sing-songing his name I will beat you—his vague connection to Sōsuke Aizen."/

This time, she allowed the gasps to disrupt her flow, she knew exactly what she wanted to say, and probably what they were going to ask as well.

"What do you mean vague? If he has ever interfaced with Aizen he's either white or black—a dirty or clean cop… or he'd be dead." Renji furrowed in brows as he entertained possibilities.

"Normally you'd be right, this is a special case where I simply cannot say for certain because we lack information. His extreme nature tends to be… polarizing; Aizen either allows you into his web or kills you if he finds you disagreeable. In the case of Hikaru, our hypothesis is the latter. I recognized his name when we were evaluating first years for second squad positions, so I took some extra time to dig around his records."

"Although the direct information I sought does not yet exist, I was able to find enough to jog my memory. Turns out his name rang a bell for a _very_ good reason. Hikaru was, albeit possibly indirectly, one of Aizen's first victims—he was killed before even Kaien. At some point in the relatively near future, the date eludes me you'll have to forgive me, one of the more promising young students will go missing and be found dead in a 70th district syndicate safehouse. Kisuke and I were investigating this group for potential ties to Aizen, which were eventually found to be substantial. Hikaru's reason for being 'acquainted' with the organization is unknown, we're just assuming foul play for obvious reasons."

Her speech left the pair with much to think about, she was aware of that, so she gave the pair a momentary repose. Ichigo was the first to make eye contact, brow more than a little furrowed.

"Have you stayed quiet all this time because you weren't certain until now, or were you debating whether or not to tell us?"

"In the interest of transparency, it was mostly the former. It did take me most of this time to be certain Hikaru is the subject of this particular event, but I also took a smaller portion of time to weigh telling and not telling you. Please understand."

Renji stepped forward, ready to put in his two skeptical cents. "In giving us this information, do you hope we will alter his future and save him, or do you hope we do everything in our power to guarantee his meeting with fate?"

Yoruichi sighed, "I can predict the future only as well as you can. It is important for all of us to have as much information about upcoming events as possible. It isn't a matter of hoping one way or another. I don't know what the metaphorical fulcrum of this chain of events is. We know what we think it is, but this future is already invariably different; perhaps doing or not doing will induce a more favorable scenario. All we can do now is gather information, not raise suspicion, and try and do the next right thing."

"Is that the long-winded form of 'do whatever you want'?" Ichigo crossed his arms, indulgingly.

He received a small smirk for his efforts, "It sure is, Ichigo."

"Well I'm glad you trust us with this decision."

"I don't have much of a choice, do I? Could I stop you if I wanted to?"

"Wow."

Falling into a slightly uncomfortable silence triggered Yoruichi to recall something else she had planned. "That's right. There was one more thing I wanted to mention."

"What is it?"

"This is not a place for training fully fledged Bankai! The inhibiter we have here is not all powerful!" Yoruichi threw her arms out for effect.

"But I worked towards and eventually used my Bankai in this training area during our first trip to the Soul Society. Is it really that different now?"

"Ichigo, at that time your Bankai was still fledgling—likely a birthday candle to the lamp that is your power. Now, you and Renji have the potential to tear this place apart."

Renji raised an eyebrow, "Kisuke Urahara sent a birthday candle to retrieve the Hōgyoku?"

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at this particular comment, "No, he didn't…. He sent a birthday candle as a distraction. I was supposed to rescue the Hōgyoku to delay Aizen. Kisuke would have come himself if he wasn't, at the time, physically unable to make the trip. You were sent as a diversion, Ichigo, I was the rescue party."

"You've dropped a lot on me after just barging in here, but I do sympathize with Kisuke. I also wouldn't trust a high schooler with three months of experience to save a divine item from a madman planning on transcending the natural order of things and wiping us all out in the process—even if I respected his father."

Yoruichi smirked, waggling her eyebrows at Ichigo, "Ho… you _did_ get good at reading Kisuke. He _does_ respect your father." Her tone shifted to a more genuine one, "You've matured, Ichigo."

Ichigo glanced down, a light blush dusting his cheeks, "It's been a long road. So long I'd almost forgot what my beginning looked like. Standing here now, looking at my beginning in a light I never thought possible, after so much… really puts things into perspective."

"Why is that?"

"Even though my friends, sisters, and colleagues do not exist at this point in time, I feel no less strength in the promise I made to protect them." Ichigo's eyes blazed with the same resolve he'd carried since he was ten, undiminished over countless battles.

Yoruichi grinned, "Well then, let's get to business sealing your powers so you can start working with Shikai. I know it's been awhile for you Renji, and Ichigo has never had his power restrained so this will be a _most_ curious experience for him."

Kneeling the Shinigami down near the resting area, Yoruichi set to work. Not long after, the inscriptions began to take shape on the inside of Ichigo's left wrist.

"Now that it's done you might want to go and sit over there Ichigo. This could be… uncomfortable."

"How uncomfortable are we talking?" Ichigo raised his voice in light alarm

"The small futon is the comfiest thing in here; I'd lay down on that if I were you."

"Oh god." Ichigo groaned as he staggered over and fell into a sitting position, refusing to lie down even in the face of the supposed insufferableness.

Renji let out an empathetic breath before turning to Yoruichi, "You just have to reactivate mine correct?"

"Well…" she paused, contemplating something, "is your glass half full or half empty, Renji?"

"Hm?"

"Your old seal is not adjusted to your current level of power. Consequently, we will have to erase the old seal and apply a new one."

"In that case, I think my glass is half full. Let's get started."

In that moment, they both chose to look towards Ichigo, who had broken out in a sweat. The substitute shook in place for a little bit, then passed out horizontal on the futon. Renji and Yoruichi looked at each other in bemusement.

"Do we check on him?"

Walking over to the now comatose Ichigo, they began their wary approach upon reaching the first of the furniture.

"He's not going to like… blow up or anything is he?"

"No!" Yoruichi hissed, before trailing off an embarrassed, "Well, I don't think so…"

"Will he implode like a star or will he go off like a bomb?"

"In both cases he takes us with us with him, doesn't he? That is also a _very_ bizarre question."

Yoruichi took initiative, undoing the ties of her shoe and lobbing the black object at Ichigo. Upon contact, he shot straight upright, sitting with his posture impeccable. The act sent Renji diving behind a chair, while Yoruichi simply stood up and strolled over to her shoe. As she started the process of putting it back on, Ichigo started raving.

"Holy shit, Yoruichi, after I walked over here and sat down, I swallowed, and it felt like I swallowed some air. It started in the center of my chest as a dense little ball that started inflating. It was getting larger and the pressure was building—like someone was inflating a balloon inside me. It went on for what felt like almost half an hour. I really thought the pressure was going to consume my whole body. Honestly, right when it felt like it was going to, I just accepted that I was going to die. I thought it was going to kill me. Then I kind of blacked out for a second and suddenly I'm looking at you."

"Well that certainly is an interesting way to describe it…" Yoruichi cupped her chin in thought.

Ichigo took note of the caution Renji displayed in his approach, "How long was I out?"

"All in all? Five minutes. Yoruichi and I were discussing my Gentei Reiin when we noticed you start to sweat and shake, then you passed out. Yoruichi threw her shoe at you to rouse you."

"Five minutes? That's it?" Ichigo was flabbergasted, that process was something he would describe as 'an ordeal'.

"That's it." The man parroted, "Feel better?"

"I do actually, yeah, thanks for asking."

"Always happy to ask."

"Don't be so chipper, Renji, since your power has also grown substantially this could very well be what happens to you. While it shouldn't be as severe, fun is not the word I'd use to describe what you're about to go through."

Renji paled, "Oh shit."

As the seal was just about done, Ichigo tuned to Yoruichi with a question.

"Why was Squad Two evaluating Hikaru in the previous timeline?"

Yoruichi did not answer until her work on Renji was done.

"We're scouting him in this timeline as well!" She responded brightly, turning away from the former lieutenant. "He expressed interest in joining the detention unit organization on campus. Did you know I heard all about your drunken sortie with Kyōraku, Matsumoto, and Hitsugaya? Apparently, the boy has a bit of a 'celebrity crush' on me!"

Renji shuddered, Yoruichi's haughty laughter ringing in his ears as he stumbled out of hearing range. His head already buzzing, he ruminated on what had just been disclosed.

 _'Hikaru… Squad Two…detention unit…night of drinking…crush on Yoruichi… why didn't he tell us?'_

Renji swallowed at the notion that Hikaru was keeping secrets from them, especially with his character in new context regarding Aizen. He halted that train of thought as he found his seat on the comfiest thing to lie down on. Putting his hand to his chest in slight discomfort, Renji let out a small burp to try and relieve the pressure from a bit of air he swallowed. Suddenly, his eyes widened like someone who was just brought a full plate of meat after thinking Italian dinners end with pasta. Using all his discipline to squander the panic, Renji Abarai tried to sigh in resignation, uttering what felt like his last words.

"Oh shit."

* * *

A/N: I have the next two chapters outlined and semi-written. I just need to string together the events which is more or less the writer's block I've hit. I just can't seem to make the filler stuff worthwhile, which is frustrating. I have so much stuff for this in bullet points; I just need to find the motivation to grind out the bs & make it good enough. I've put a lot of thought, and will continue to put a lot of thought, into the next two chapters as repayment.


End file.
